-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal officials charged 20 people Wednesday in a scheme to recruit illegal immigrants from Russia and Eastern European countries to work as exotic dancers in New York strip clubs , according to Preet Bharara , the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York .

Charges against the 20 individuals include racketeering , extortion , visa and marriage fraud , and transporting and harboring illegal immigrants . The accused are alleged to be members of the Gambino and Bonanno organized crime families , according to federal authorities .

`` The defendants themselves had one thing in common -- the desire to turn the women they allegedly helped enter this country illegally into their personal profit centers , `` Bharara said . `` Today 's arrests have brought an end to their illicit activities . ''

Several of the accused are alleged to have run the `` Strip Club Enterprise , '' which controlled a series of strip clubs throughout Queens and Long Island . Through these clubs , the accused are alleged to have recruited Eastern European women to enter the United States on student J1 visas to perform as strippers in their enterprises . Prosecutors also charge the defendants threatened physical violence and economic harm if the owners and operators of New York strip clubs as part of a broad extortion scheme .

`` The defendants controlled their business and protected their turf through intimidation and threats of physical and economic harm , '' said James T. Hayes , Jr. , special agent in charge with Immigration and Customs Enforcement , which led the investigation . `` Today 's arrests bring to an end a long-standing criminal enterprise operated by colluding organized crime entities that profited wildly through a combination of extortion and fraud . ''

Some of the exotic dancers brought illegally into the United States were also matched with U.S. citizens in fraudulent marriages to resolve their immigrations status , prosecutors said in the indictment .

Before dawn on Wednesday , federal agents arrived at Cheetah 's Gentlemans Club and Restaurant off Times Square in Manhattan , Gallagher 's 2000 in Queens , NY , and seven other New York-area strip clubs and confiscated files and documents .

Attorneys for those indicted were not immediately available for comment .

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The women are from Russia and Eastern European countries

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Prosecutor : defendants wanted the women to be `` their personal profit centers ''

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Charges include extortion and visa and marriage fraud

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Federal agents confiscated files at several clubs in pre-dawn raids